Journey for a wish
by lazycat66
Summary: When Lucy had begged for a change in her stagnant life, finding herself suddenly in Terca Lumireis wasn't exactly the change she was expecting. What now? Panic and despair, or… live for the moment and just go with it?
1. Prologue

**~ Prologue ~**

'_Weird fog', _Lucy thought, feeling a chill up her spine.

She looked around, but couldn't see anything. She could only hear the ocean, but that was enough to give her a sense of direction at least.

Lucy had come to the beach to be alone, sort out some thoughts, be one with the nature, and maybe, just maybe, find herself. She had been doing this on a weekly basis since middle September. It was late October now, and she was still begging for… something. Anything. Her life was stagnant and she couldn't figure out what to do about it. So she begged for some sort of change, to find a new purpose, to meet new people, anything that would help her find her way and a meaning in life.

She was sitting on a large rock, contemplating her surroundings. The sea was calm, there was no wind, and a light fog was present to give a nice magical ambience. Lucy closed her eyes, smiling, and took a few deep breaths.

'_It's so peaceful…'_

In that instant, she felt truly happy.

In her hand was a small stone she had found moments ago. It had a peculiar shape, almost like a star, but with round edges and not really symmetrical. It caught Lucy's eye due to its bright orange color, and when she took a better look, she could see various shades from light orange to red, with milky white veins making a contrast. It was so pretty and smooth…

As Lucy opened her eyes to observe the stone once more, she noticed the fog had become much denser than just a few minutes ago. And it felt strange, almost as if it was charged with electricity and… a sort of a presence?

'_Ok, this is starting to get weird._'

The girl was feeling uneasy, her peace from moments ago shattered by her heart beating faster with a sense of urgency. She quickly got up, placed the stone in her pocket absentmindedly, and headed back, half guessing the way to her car.

Lucy couldn't find her car. She couldn't even find the road. What she could see, now that the fog was clearing, was the sand giving way to grass.

'_Grass?! That can't be right…_'

Lucy was feeling lost and surprised, but she wasn't really thinking about it, she was just looking for something that looked familiar, something that could give her a sense of direction.

And then, as the fog cleared, she saw it. Something she recognized.

But not what was she was expecting, at all.

* * *

A.N. - This is my first attempt at writing a story, so bare with me. Reviews will make me happy!

I don't feel that confident about my writing skills, but I was lucky enough to find someone willing to help me out and encourage me - Thank you, Plusle!


	2. What are the odds?

**~ Chapter 1 - What are the odds? ~**

Lucy was dumbfounded, staring at the scenery in front of her. She knew exactly where she was, and yet, she was very, very lost, for she didn't know how she got there, nor did she know how to get back home. She was so lost, in fact, she had somehow wandered into a different reality altogether.

Plains and hills of green grass and a few bushes here and there extended in all directions in front of her, and in the distance, between the hills, she could tell the outlines of a city. A big city, with a huge sword in the middle, and an enormous ring of light in the sky above it.

Lucy was on Terca Lumireis, to the west of Zaphias, the imperial capital.

And approaching rapidly from the left was a hopping mushroom.

"Ahhhh! Go away! GO AWAY!"

Lucy wasn't sure if she was addressing the creature or herself. The mushroom kept advancing towards her, so she kicked it and just ran toward the city, not daring to look back.

She was out of breath when she finally stopped and dared to look back, checking if the mushroom had chased her. It hadn't, thankfully. Around her were just rocks, large and small, and low vegetation. No monsters in sight.

The girl chose a large rock to sit on and try to calm her racing heart and thoughts.

'_How did I get myself in this mess? How do I get back home?! Maybe I should have stayed at the beach… crap, why did I move?!'_

For a while she just sat there, observing the world around her, trying to calm down and not panic, because that wouldn't help or solve anything.

The day was bright, although the sun was past its peak. What looked more like soft brush strokes than clouds, decorated the sky. There were birds flying around, picking up little things from the ground. Lucy sat very still so as not to startle them.

During those minutes, there was no Lucy, no home, no Zaphias, no world. Just nature in existence.

x x x – x x x – x x x

'_Am I really here? Or is this a dream?_'

Often times when Lucy was dreaming she would realize it was a dream as soon as she'd question it.

'_No. It's not a dream. It feels different. Real. But how can this be real?!'_

She dropped her head to her knees, hugging her legs.

'_Ok, I don't know how, but I'm really here. Something tells me that weird fog had something to do with crossing… realities? Whatever. I need to find a way back. Man, I don't even know where to start!'_

Lucy stared into the distance, at the city where it all begins.

'_Just keep moving forward, I suppose… Maybe I should try to get to Aspio and see if someone knows anything about alternate realities and parallel worlds and stuff like that?_'

She smiled as she imagined crossing paths with Rita. And then a sudden thought took her smile away.

'_I don't even know where I am in the timeline! I might be too early, I might be too late… No, not too late, cause the barrier is still there. And… maybe it's safe to assume I'm in time for the game's events? I mean, come on…'_

Lucy tried to find logic and meaning in her situation, so she could hold on to something. She firmly believed that everything happens for a reason, even if that reason is not apparent at first. And when things made no sense, she would hold on to that belief, no matter what.

'_How probable is it to wander into a fictional world? If I ended up here, there must be a reason, whatever it may be. It would be stupid to be here out of time. Wouldn't it?_'

She was already entertaining thoughts of meeting all the characters; joining in Yuri's sarcasm, learning stuff from Estelle's endless knowledge from all the books she reads, having nice chats with Judith, teasing Karol, maybe trying to learn magic with Rita, and… flirting with Raven, just for the fun of it! She liked all the characters, but Raven was her favorite. She always seemed to have a soft spot for the older characters with a troubled past.

Lucy chuckled.

'_Why am I always attracted to trouble? Why can't I like the nice guys?'_

Again, the smile vanished from her face. She had remembered someone she'd been trying to forget for weeks. That was part of the reason she had been to the beach so often lately, part of the reason she was asking for a change in her life…

'_A change… in scenery… meet new people… find a new purpose…?'_

Once those gears were put in motion in her head, Lucy could almost hear a voice in the back of her mind… well, not a voice exactly, more like a notion. And it scared her.

*W_eren't you begging for a change? Well, your wish has been granted.*_

x x x – x x x – x x x

'_I guess I should have been more careful when I wished for a change. Or at least more specific. This was definitely __**not**__ what I had in mind!'_

Lucy's rational side, the one that was always careful and a bit of a coward, kept trying to convince her this was a bad idea, she should go no further, she shouldn't be here, bad things could happen.

Her rational side could be quite overwhelming and scary, but she was in a fantasy world, in some alternate reality. Her other side - the dreamer, the child, the one with the spark that moves her forward - was far too excited about it all. The rational side could make its voice heard, but it could never win. Not this time.

'_I've wished for a change for so long… this is definitely a change! I have been given this opportunity, as crazy as it seems. I can't just throw it away! I asked for it, now I have to deal with it. I can't run and hide._'

And so, Lucy let her heart lead her, as she always did in the end.

'_So, what now? I head to Zaphias? Easier said than done… I have no weapons and no fighting training. I think I can handle mushrooms.. minicoids! That's their name. Well, I can handle those if they're not too many… Ok, and when I make it to the city, then what? I have no money! How am I going to eat, sleep… survive? Should I just look for Yuri and attach myself to the party? Damn, I'm not part of the story, what am I suppose to say? 'Oh hi there Yuri, you don't know me, but I'll be following you everywhere you go, cause I have no money and I don't know how to fight, so you'll have to support me and protect me.' Ah ah. Right. I don't think so._'

Lucy let out a frustrated sigh.

'_I can't just sit here thinking about everything that could go wrong. I've decided to go along with this, so I have to move on and figure out things as they come. For now… I guess I should look for something to use as a weapon?_'

With that, Lucy got up and looked around to see what she could find.

Stones. Lots of them. And not much else.

Her aim wasn't that good, but for now this seemed to be the only option. Maybe she could find one that would fit her hand in a nice way and she could use it to smash instead of just throwing it.

'_A stone that would fit my hand…_'

Remembering something, Lucy let her hand trail down to her hoodie's left pocket. That small orange stone she had found at the beach was still there.

Lucy got it out and held it against the sunlight. It was translucent, like quartz. Or like an agate, to be more precise. The light shining through it made that little marvel even prettier. Also, she noted, the white veins drew an almost perfect design in the middle, resembling maybe… an eye?

'_My precioussss… This one's too pretty to throw away at some monster's face._'

Lucy placed the pretty orange stone in her jeans' pocket this time, to make room for the rocks she was picking up. They were small and pointy. She wouldn't carry more than 3 or 4 in each pocket, for she couldn't afford to carry too much weight, that would slow her down and from what she could see, the sun would be setting in an hour or so. She had to reach the city by then, because staying out in the wild during the night was not an option.

And so, armed with stones and a sense of urgency, Lucy Davidson walked forward to the imperial capital, in search for a reason, a meaning, a purpose… and an adventure.


	3. Tall, dark and sharp

**~ Chapter 2 - Tall, dark and sharp ~**

Yuri's eyes wandered from the city up ahead to his companion, who had stopped suddenly, a few steps to his right, growling at the bushes.

"What is it, Repede?"

It had been a long day of walking, as it had been the previous day. The journey could have been made in a shorter time, but they weren't in a hurry. There were feelings of anger and resentment that Yuri needed to sort out, and Yuri's easiest way of dealing with those feelings was by getting into fights. Luckily, there were plenty of monsters along the way.

Now he was tired, not so much physically, but emotionally. At least most of the anger had washed away.

A lot had happen in just a week or so. And even though he was in no hurry, now that he was getting closer to the city and the sun was starting to go down, he just wanted to get it over with, preferably before nightfall, and get some decent sleep.

When a filifolia jumped from behind a bush, Yuri cursed under his breath, unsheathed his sword and finished the creature in two swings.

"Come on, Repede. We're almost there."

Repede barked once in agreement and followed Yuri, who was already walking away.

x x x – xx x – x x x

'_So far so good._'

Lucy had been walking for about 40 minutes, and so far she had encountered exactly 7 minicoids and 3 filifolia buds. Luckily never in groups of more than 2.

She still had 3 stones. She had used her feet a lot more than the stones, kicking away at the small monsters that were no taller than her knees. Although they could reach pretty high when they jumped. But Lucy's reflexes were sharp enough to get out of their way, sliding to the side and kicking them as they reached the ground.

Lucy didn't kill any of them. She knew things would eventually come to that, later on, but for now she didn't feel ready to kill.

Kicking them was fun though. Not that she would admit it.

She was now close enough to the city to see the entrance to the Lower Quarter. The sun was getting low, it would be dark soon. She'd make it just in time.

'_It's been a long day… I wonder if I'll be there in time for the aque blastia breaking… that won't be fun. Maybe I'll be lucky and that's over already, and I'll just catch up to Yuri and Estelle on their way out... What if I miss them? I better stay close to the exit, just in case. I really need to get to town and figure out the timeline… And I still don't know where I'm going to sleep tonight. Maybe I can pay for a room with work, like washing the dishes or something. God I hope– what was that?!_'

A sound coming from behind her, made Lucy jump. She took a second to react and grab a stone with each hand. Then she turned around.

There were 2 minicoids ready to jump at her, another 2 just behind them, and 3 filifolias rapidly approaching from the sides.

Lucy cursed out loud, keeping the stones in her hands while spinning, arms outstretched, hoping to knock out the creatures, before they hit her face.

She felt her hand (or rather, the stone in her hand) connect with something squishy, followed by a squeal and a thud on the ground. She had knocked out one, but missed the other and was hit in the shoulder. On impact, the minicoid released a pink powder and due to the proximity, Lucy wasn't able to avoid it getting in her eyes. It stung and she had to close them, losing control and coordination for a moment. And a moment was all it took for the filifolias to spin and hit her legs repeatedly with their leafy arms. The remaining minicoids finished the job, jumping at once and knocking Lucy down, releasing more of their powder.

She felt a numb here and there. She was tired.

'_I'm going to be eaten by vegetables. How ironic would it be if I was a vegetarian?_'

She was getting bruised fast with 6 things hopping on her. She looked like a child pulling a tantrum, on the ground, shaking her arms and legs wildly, but no matter how much she pushed away one or two creatures, the others would take their place, and in a moment the first ones would be back.

Then a flash of blue came out of nowhere, catching two of the monsters in mid jump, sending them through the air. The remaining ones were startled and didn't react for a second. Lucy took the opportunity to knock away the ones closer to her hands. Then she quickly got up, kicking the last two.

When she looked around for her savoir, all she could see was his back and hair. But that was enough for Lucy's heart to skip a beat, and she couldn't help a smile she was trying to contain from reaching her lips.

'_It's Yuri. It's freaking Yuri! Keep it together woman. Keep it together! Pretend you don't know him.'_

Lucy just stared as Yuri busied himself finishing off the monsters she had simply pushed away.

When he turned back, she finally got a good look at his face. Lucy was very curious to see what he looked like in the flesh. And there he was, tall, dark long hair with a slightly purple hue, a face between square and round, soft features contrasting with his sharp personality and intense stare.

As he was getting closer she felt incapable of looking in the eyes, afraid he'd realize she knew him.

Staring at his half open shirt wasn't helping either.

Lucy's hands were shaking and her heart was racing.

'_It's like meeting someone famous… just try and act cool. Remember he's just another person, just like you._'

She took a deep breath to steady herself. Hopefully he would attribute her nerves to the fight.

"T-thanks", she tried.

"No problem. Are you alright? You don't look so good."

"Huh?"

Lucy looked down at herself, following Yuri's eyes.

"Oh."

There was blood here and there, some from the monsters and some of her own, she realized. Her right hand was bleeding, courtesy of the pointy rock she used as a weapon. Her jeans were ripped in several places and her legs were a bloody mess, thanks to the filifolias. She could feel the sting from the cuts, but they weren't deep.

"It's not as bad as it looks. I should be fine."

Lucy finally gathered the courage to properly look at him. But Yuri wasn't looking at her anymore. His eyes were on the city up ahead and on the sun sinking in the horizon.

"What were you doing out here all by yourself?"

Yuri took another look at the girl in front of him. No weapons, no bag of any kind, no nothing. Something was off about this girl. Maybe she was in trouble. Or maybe she **was** trouble. He had a feeling it was most probably the former, though.

"Er… I… lost my way. So I was trying to reach the city before nightfall."

"That would be wise. You don't seem very capable of defending yourself."

The girl blushed.

"I didn't think I'd be fighting monsters today, I… wasn't expecting to be here at all."

The girl fell quiet, eyes cast on the ground.

Yuri sighed. He couldn't just leave her here.

"Come on, let's get to town before you're eaten by monsters."

Lucy looked up to Yuri, but he'd already started walking away. She smiled, shaking her head.

'_Typical._'

She rushed to catch up to him.

"Hey, wait up!"

Afraid to call him by his name before he announced it himself, she got the introductions out of the way.

"Thanks for helping me out. My name's Lucy, by the way."

"Yuri. And this is Repede."

*Bark!*

Lucy's heart sank when she heard the high pitched bark, realizing the reason she hadn't noticed Repede before wasn't that she was awestruck by Yuri and couldn't take her eyes away from him. No, the reason she hadn't noticed Repede was because he was...

'_A cute… little… PUPPY?! Why am I here __**now**__?!_'


	4. Home?

**A/N** - Sherlock is back. I've been sidetracked. It may take a little longer for my mind to shift back to Terca Lumireis.

Anyway, I thought about what some of you said about the short chapters. I have my (several) reasons for not making them too long, but I agree, chapters 1 and 2 should be merged together. So that's what I did.

I wanted this chapter to go a little further but that felt like a good place to end.

Thank you all for the favs, follows and reviews! It's really motivating!

* * *

**~ Chapter 3 - Home? ~**

Lucy's thoughts were racing, as she walked silently behind Yuri and Repede.

'_I don't get it, what's the point of me being here now? Crap! I won't get to meet any of the other guys! Unless I stick around for 4 years or so. Man, that's way too long! I sure hope I'll find my way back before then.'_

Lucy's shoulders slumped, along with her mood.

'_What if there is no way back?... No, if there was a way in, there's has to be a way out. I just need to find it!_'

She took a deep breath, finding new resolve.

'_I need to focus here. I need to adapt if I want to survive long enough to get back home. Ok. What will I need first? Money. To get money, I'll need a job. To get a job… I need to be presentable. For that, I need a shower and a change of clothes. For that I need money. Shit. I'm screwed!'_

Lucy's thoughts were running in circles. She could only come to one conclusion.

'_I need help. And I'll have to explain myself. I'm going to need a backstory, aren't I? I hate lying, and I'm not good at it. I'd feel better if I could at least tell… someone. I wonder if… Yuri would probably listen without judging much, even if he wouldn't totally believe me. But we just met, I don't think he'd be that open to a crazy story just yet. And there seems to be this rule about not telling the truth…'_

Lucy was thinking about all the fan fictions she'd read, since that was her only reference for such a situation.

"Hey, we're here."

"Hm?"

Yuri's voice pulled Lucy out of her thoughts. And she was surprised to see they were in Zaphias already. She looked around trying to recognize the area. There was the river to the left with buildings on the other side, there was the long upward street leading to the heart of the Lower Quarter, there were doors with signs on them… The signs. How could she forget that!

'_Ok, that's it. I can't even read a damn sign! Screw the rules! This isn't a story, I'm actually here. And I need some serious help!_'

"Anybody home?" Yuri asked, with a funny look on his face.

"Home…?"

Her thoughts shifted completely.

She should have been home by now. Her mother would be worried. Lucy always called to let her mom know if she was coming later than she was supposed to. But she didn't have her phone with her today, she'd left it at home charging, thinking she'd only go to the beach and be back in an hour or two. But even if she did have her phone, it would be useless here.

The thought of her mother growing more and more worried about her daughter's absence filled Lucy with guilt so suddenly and so strongly that she couldn't contain the tears in her eyes.

"Oh mom… I'm sorry!" she let out in a faint voice.

Yuri wasn't sure what to do about the girl falling apart in front of him. He didn't like to see people crying, it make him feel useless. No, more than that. It made him feel inept, because he didn't know how to deal with it, which in turn made him feel uncomfortable. He hated that.

Yuri looked away, up the street. Repede was happily strutting around, sniffing every corner, taking in all the new smells. He seemed to like his new home. Home. Is that what brought the girl to tears?

'_Is she having trouble at home? Maybe she ran away.'_

Yuri sighed tiredly.

'_Why did I have to get involved?'_

Lucy realized she was making a scene when she heard Yuri sighing. She dried her tears trying to pull herself together.

"I'm sorry…"

Yuri gave her a moment. Then…

"So, what's your story?" he demanded.

"I… It's… not easy to tell. And it's even harder to believe."

"Try me."

Lucy hesitated. He wouldn't give up. But she had to think of the best way to tell him, and she didn't feel ready for this just now. She had to give him something, though.

"Like I said earlier, I lost my way somehow. And I found myself here quite unexpectedly. I wasn't prepared to be fighting monsters. And… I'm not prepared to be here either, I have no gald to rent a room for the night, or even for a meal."

She buried her face in her hands, took a deep breath and let her hands slide to the sides of her head. Tears were threatening to come back.

"I'm trying not to freak out here. It's not easy."

"Calm down. Crying won't solve anything."

"I know…"

She needed a hug. But she couldn't ask for it.

"You still haven't told me your story."

'_Ok. Here goes nothing'_, she thought.

"I promise I'll tell you tomorrow if you get me a place to sleep tonight. And a meal, if it's not too much trouble…"

"Aren't you demanding", he said with a hint of a smirk.

Lucy looked him in the eye, pleading.

"Yuri, please… I need help, I have no one else to ask. Please help me?"

She lowered her eyes to the ground and continued, feeling the need to explain, to let him know this was just temporary.

"I'll go look for a job tomorrow, I don't want to be depending on your generosity, or anyone else's for that matter, I want to able to support myself. I'm sure there are a lot of things I can do, even if-"

"Are you coming, or what? You'll get lost if stay behind."

Lucy fell silent. Yuri was already walking away, with Repede by his side.

She rushed after him, relieved.


	5. Laughter and tears

**~ Chapter 4 - Laughter and Tears ~**

Yuri led Lucy to the Comet, the inn and tavern of the Lower Quarter. He let her pick a table while he ordered a meal for them. Then he headed for the door again.

"I'll be right back", he explained to Lucy before she could ask and walked out with Repede at his heels.

"Yuri! What are you doing here?" an old familiar voice spoke from behind him.

"Hey, Hanks. Did you miss me?"

The old man was coming down the stairs that lead to the fountain square. Hanks didn't seem surprised to see him back.

"So, have the knights kicked you out already?"

Yuri just sighed, not really in the mood for this conversation.

"As Flynn so nicely put it, I'm not fit to be a knight."

"Is that so. And how is Flynn?"

"Thrilled that I'm gone, I would imagine."

"Hmpf. Well… Welcome back, Yuri. We can always use an extra pair of hands around here."

"Yeah. Thanks."

Yuri watched as Hanks walked away. He would never admit it, but he had missed the old man.

x x x- x x x - x x x

"So, did I miss anything?"

"Just Becca ruthlessly interrogating me. She's really nice though," Lucy added with a smile, as Yuri took his seat.

A delicious smell filled the air. Only then did Lucy realize how hungry she was. One plate was placed in front of her, another in front of Yuri.

"Here you go, Lucy. You too, Yuri. Enjoy!"

"Thank you. It smells so good!"

"Wait until you taste it. Becca's cooking is the best."

"That's nice, but flattery won't get you out of our arrangement, Yuri."

Lucy gave Yuri a questioning look, intrigued with the exchange.

"She lets me keep a room upstairs, but in return, I have to help out in the kitchen."

"I'd much rather having some help waiting the tables, but we tried that once… It didn't go well. So I put him in the kitchen."

If you'd only listen to Becca's words, you'd think she was angry, but you'd only have to take a look at her face to see how fond she was of Yuri.

An image started forming in Lucy's mind...

Yuri in the kitchen with an apron.

'_Uh-oh. Stop that, Lucy._'

Picking vegetables for a soup and chopping them.

'_And stop smiling._'

With his sword.

'_Stop NOW, Lucy!_'

With his hair tucked up in a coif.

That did it. Lucy couldn't contain her laughter, and once it was out she couldn't control it.

"Thanks for that, Becca."

Yuri couldn't see the image in her mind, but he knew it was there, Lucy was sure. She was still laughing as Becca walked away, chuckling herself.

x x x – x x x – x x x

Lucy followed Yuri up the stairs. He hadn't said a word about where she would sleep. She hesitated as he opened the first door next to the stairs.

"This is my room. Come in for a second."

The room was small, but more than enough for one person.

There was a bed, a small dresser, a blanket in a lump on the floor (that Repede happily occupied), two swords on the wall (one made of wood, one made of metal), a small bathroom, Yuri's bag carelessly thrown into a corner, a table, a chair and the window.

"Here."

Yuri handed a key to Lucy. She had been too distracted to see where he got it from.

"You can have the room next door."

Lucy took the key.

"Thanks, Yuri. For everything."

"Now don't forget your end of the bargain."

"You won't let me forget it, I'm sure."

Yuri just gave her a half smile, to which Lucy responded with one of her own.

"Goodnight, Yuri. And goodnight Repede", Lucy added as she lowered herself to pet the little bundle of blue. Repede answered by wagging his tail.

Lucy's room was identical to Yuri's.

She was tired, but couldn't sleep just yet. Too much on her mind. So she made use of the bathroom, cleaning up the cuts in her legs and washing away the dirt in her face.

What she needed was a proper shower, but she had no change of clothes. Maybe she could borrow some? She didn't want to be bothering anyone, but… she really needed a shower.

Lucy left her room and knocked on Yuri's door. It opened in a second.

"Yuri, I'm sorry to bother you... do you have any spare clothes I could borrow?"

When Yuri didn't answer, simply staring at her like she was crazy, Lucy explained:

"I really need a shower, but I have no clean clothes to change in to…"

"Why don't you ask Becca? I don't think my clothes would suit you."

"Oh. She's always so busy, I didn't want to bother her, so I thought… yeah, I guess you're right. Sorry"

Lucy felt her cheeks reddening.

'_Why did I come to Yuri for clothes? That was stupid!... Oh, right. Cause he wears pants. If I go to Becca, I'll get some sort of dress, for sure. Argh! It's just temporary. I can't be picky._'

She walked down to the tavern and found Becca in the kitchen, washing the dishes. Lucy asked for a spare change of clothes, offering help to clean up in return.

When the dishes were done and the kitchen was clean, Lucy returned to her room with a white t-shirt, a faded red blouse, a brown skirt and some underwear.

She took her shower, but kept her hair dry. It would take too long to dry. She would wash it in the morning.

After that, she washed her clothes the best she could, and put them to dry on the rope that was set outside the window.

Lucy couldn't find anything else to do. She was dreading this moment. Now she would have to try and sleep. But that wouldn't happen before everything would crumble down - her confidence, her composure, her determination, her self-control - giving way instead to the bottled up fear, guilt, hopelessness and tears.

With thoughts of her parents, her friends and everything else she held dear back home, Lucy cried herself to sleep.

~~~ _Mom, why are you worried about me? I'm right here! Why can't you see me?_ ~~~

_~~~ Luanne is mad at me, but happy at the same time. She's jealous that I get to travel and have fun, while she has to stay behind, putting up with her dysfunctional family. _~~~

~~~ _Mike with his girlfriend. Her back is turned, but he's facing me. He's looking at me, his eyes longing. But I can't reach him, I'm too far away… ~~~_

Lucy woke up startled. It took her a minute to remember where she was. Then she cried herself to sleep again. Thankfully, the rest of the night was dreamless.

* * *

**A/N** - I must thank Slyph Writer for letting me use the name Becca for the innkeeper. She doesn't have a name in the game, but after reading Sylph's fic I couldn't think of that lady with any other name. By the way, if you haven't read Fairy Tales and Brave Vesperia yet, go read it. Now! You won't be sorry!

I wasn't sure how to make the dreams look different from the thoughts, so I put them between "~~~" and centered. Maybe it was a bit too much...? If you have any better ideas, let me know!


	6. Books of Tales

**~ Chapter 5 – Books of Tales ~**

Lucy took her time at the window, staring at the distance, letting her hair dry. She'd been there for about half an hour, thinking of the best way to tell Yuri that she was… well, an alien.

'_Where to start? What to tell? What not to tell? What if he doesn't believe me and just turns his back on me? Now that I'm here, I can survive on my own if have to, but…_'

She turned back into her room, letting out a heavy sigh.

Lucy opened the drawer in the dresser absentmindedly, like she had done at least three times already this morning, looking at her keys and that orange stone from the beach. The only things from Earth she had with her. Apart from her clothes that were still drying, of course. But that didn't really count.

She picked up the stone and closed her hand around it. That somehow brought her comfort. It was like the stone was emanating good vibes. Lucy smiled.

'_My precious… Maybe I should make a good luck charm with it, or something._'

She was already thinking of ways to do it, what materials she'd need, if it was worth the work or if she should find someone with the proper knowledge to do it...

There was a knock on the door.

Lucy didn't need to open to know who it was. Who else could it be?

She opened the door to be greeted by grey eyes and a trademark smirk.

"Morning, Yuri! Come in. Oh, hi Repede!" she added, as the pup brushed her legs.

"Were you thinking of hiding in your room all day?" Yuri asked, in a joking tone, as he walked in. Repede was sniffing around, taking particular interest in the chair by the table.

"I'm not hiding. I was just thinking…"

"Here."

He handed her a sandwich. Lucy took it gladly.

"Wow. It's like you've figured out my weakness already!"

"Hm?"

Lucy just gave him a big grin and took a bite. She only half joking about her weakness; She did like food quite a lot. Give her some food she likes and she's your friend for life.

Yuri took a good look at the girl while she was distracted with her sandwich. Just like he expected, her skin was dark under the eyes and she looked tired. He wouldn't mention it though, just as he wouldn't mention how thin the walls were and how he heard her crying during the night.

Lucy took another bite, putting her thoughts in order. Then she put the sandwich down on the table, out of Repede's reach.

*whine*

Lucy chuckled and gave him a bit of her breakfast. Then she turned to Yuri, trying to be casual.

"Say Yuri, did you ever read any story books when you were a kid? You know, with stories about heroes, adventures and stuff like that."

"I don't like reading, it's boring," he said as he leaned against the wall, next to the window. "But Flynn's mom would read us stories when we were kids."

He smiled at the memory. "Then Hanks got me some books with lots pictures and little text. It was the only way he would get me to read something."

"Hanks?" Lucy sat on the bed, crossing her legs. She had never given much thought to Hanks' role in Yuri's life.

Yuri mistook her confused look.

"You haven't met him yet. He's the old man everyone comes to when they have a problem around here. It was Hanks who taught me how to read and write and all that basic stuff you need in life."

"Oh, speaking of writing…!"

Lucy reached for the second drawer in the dresser and pulled out a piece of paper and a pencil. She had found it there the night before and immediately thought of a good use for it.

"Could you write down the alphabet here for me? One letter per square on the top row, please. By order. You know, and so on… that is the order, right?"

Yuri just stared at her, one brow raised and a confused look as he took the pencil and paper with a previously drawn table with two rows of twenty six squares.

"So, Hanks, he was a teacher?"

"When he was younger, yeah. What's all this about?"

"You'll see. Tell me, did you ever imagine yourself somehow entering one of those story books and being part of that world, living those adventures alongside the characters?"

"Well sure, I was kid. All kids do that."

Lucy waited for him to finish writing, before continuing.

He handed back the paper with the letters, intrigued.

"Thanks. What if it actually happened, one day you suddenly finding yourself in one of those stories, one of those worlds…?"

Lucy was writing "her" own alphabet in the second row, as she spoke. She waited for Yuri to figure it out. She could see him connecting the dots, but the only picture he was seeing was Lucy being continuously weird. She sighed. She thought this "book" example would be the best for him to understand. Mentioning video games or animated movies would just sound like crazy nonsense and it wouldn't help her at all. She handed him back the paper.

"That is the alphabet as I know it. It's what we use back where I'm from."

"What the hell?!"

"You've never seen letters like that, right?"

"I can't say that I have. Are you're just making this up?"

Lucy looked away.

"No. I'm not from around here, Yuri… Back where I'm from, Terca Lumireis is just a fictional world. I never thought-"

"Whoa, wait a minute. What do you mean 'fictional world'?"

"I'm not from Terca Lumireis. And I'm not just from another world, I'm from a different reality altogether. All that is real here, is just fiction there."

"Right. You expect me to believe that?"

Lucy's heart was racing. Of course he wouldn't believe her, what was she thinking? Her nerves got the better of her, she got up and she started rambling, pacing around the small room.

"I told you it was hard to believe, but that's the truth. I don't expect you to believe me, but… I was hoping you would. I'd prove it to you if I could, but I don't know how, I didn't even bring my phone with me-"

"Phone?"

"- that would have been a good thing to prove my case, although it's got some pictures of you, that would be weird-"

"Hey, slow down! What do you mean pictures of me?! How would you even-"

She stopped in front of him.

"That's what I was trying to get at with all that book talk. In my world, there's a book called Tales of Vesperia, set in a world called Terca Lumireis. As the title indicates, it tells several tales, and in one of them the main character is… you. Yuri Lowell."

Lucy had thought a lot about this. She figured she couldn't mention the game's story or future events (even she knew not to mess with the timeline), but she knew too much about this world, and she'd might accidentally mention something she shouldn't. So she decided to make her "book" a series of tales, allowing her to know a bit about the geography and history of Terca Lumireis, and even a few stories about some people. She just had to be extra careful not to mention names.

"Main character? What, like a hero? I think you got the wrong guy." He laughed bitterly.

"Well, you're more like an anti-hero," she explained, as she leaned against the table. "You're a good guy, but not in a typical way. You don't follow the rules, you're not always nice and not everybody likes you. But you have a good heart and no evil intentions. You're not the only main character. There's also the typical good guy; polite, considerate, respectful and all around mister right. That would be Flynn."

"Flynn… So he's in this story too?"

"Of course he is!" she said with a big amused grin.

"Hmf. Figures."

"You two are a big part of each other's lives, like it or not. You grew up together, you're like two parts of the same whole. Two opposite parts, I should add, that keep pushing each other, each wanting to go their own way… but when there's an important matter to take care of, you work together and no one can beat you."

"That does sound like us…" Yuri admitted, with a hint of a smile.

"But if you think the idea of you being a character in a book is weird, imagine how I felt when I suddenly walked into a world that, in my reality, doesn't really exist…"

"So you just walked in here? How can your world be at a walking distance from ours? This doesn't make any sense."

"I don't know, Yuri. If I knew how it was possible, I'd know how to get back. I'm guessing there was some kind of shift, some rip in the fabric of reality. Something triggered it, creating a passage of sorts. And I walked through it unaware."

"Why didn't you just walk back, as soon as you noticed?"

"Cause the fog was gone."

"…Fog?"

"Yeah. I'll explain. You see, I'd gone to the beach for a walk, and while I was there this weird fog showed up suddenly. It was so thick I couldn't see anything, and it felt weird… it was starting to scare me, cause I was all alone there, so I got up and headed back to my car, but-"

"Car?"

"Oh, right… Think of it as a carriage."

"You have your own carriage? So you're a noble?"

"Hardly," Lucy laughed.

Yuri was puzzled. But he was going with it, even if not believing her every word. He was giving her a chance. Lucy felt encouraged to continue.

"Anyway, I walked through the fog, trying to get back. When I could finally see something in front of me again… I was in this world. I could see Zaphias in the distance, and I recognized it from the pictures in that book. I was in shock for a minute and when I could think again, the fog was completely gone. Not knowing what to do, I just… moved forward."

"So you think the fog is related to this… 'shift'?"

"I'm guessing it acts as some kind of portal, yes. But I still don't know what makes it appear. It could have been a once in a lifetime thing… I may never find a way back…"

Lucy turned her head the other way, feeling tears coming up.

Yuri didn't know what to say or think. But he could tell she needed a distraction.

"So, when we met, you already knew who I was? And you know Flynn too?"

'_Should I really tell him? What right do I have exposing his secrets like that? But if I keep it to myself, it might end up biting me in the ass. I better just get it out of the way._'

"What is it?" Yuri asked, noting her hesitation.

"I think you should know… that book about this world? The story about you and Flynn, it's about what happened in Shizontania. You just got back from there, didn't you?"

Yuri's posture went rigid and Lucy felt a bit intimidated when he narrowed his eyes.

"How much do you know about that?"

"I know what happened there," she started, staring at the floor, not brave enough to face him.

"I know the Aer was out of control due to some secret experiments. I know how the Aer itself became a monster of sorts, taking everything in its way. I know about Lambert and how you had to… I know about Niren going against his orders and not waiting for backup, and I know how dangerous it was for all of you and how he didn't make it back. I know about Flynn finding a core with a particular shape, figuring out Garista was involved in everything. I know how you two confronted him. I know how Garista attacked you and revealed that those experiments had been going on for many years, and Niren hadn't been the first to go against the rules and losing his life… the same thing happened to Flynn's dad, and Garista was also responsible. That made both of you snap, your defense changed to an attack and you ended up killing him. Then you left the knights and brought Repede with you."

'_Probably out of guilt, since you had to kill his father and couldn't save his owner,_' she thought. She'd never say it out loud, tough. No need to rub it in, especially when it's still so recent.

There was a mix of shock, panic and fear in his eyes, as she brought up more and more details he'd rather forget. She was losing him. It would be really bad if she lost him now, she had to make it right again.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone, I swear. It's none of my business, anyway. I just happen to know about it. I still think of it as fiction, since I wasn't even there to-"

She knew she had said the wrong words, the moment they got out. Why couldn't she keep her mouth shut when got nervous?

"It's not fiction!" Yuri growled. "Wish it was…" he then added bitterly.

"I'm sorry. You're right. I… I shouldn't have said that. I shouldn't have said anything at all. Maybe I should have just made up some story about me being from some distant town. It would have been more believable, I'm sure."

"No. If you know about it, then I'm glad you told me. Your story might be hard to swallow, but if you were going to make something up, it probably wouldn't sound so crazy. So I guess I'll give it a chance. At least until you give me some reason to doubt you."

Lucy felt so grateful, she acted on impulse, stepping forward and throwing her arms around Yuri's waist. He froze on the spot. She ignored it for another moment, not wanting to let go just yet… then she released him.

They were both quiet for a bit, as she sat on the bed again.

Repede whined at the strange tension in the room. Thankfully, that was all it took to break the ice and get Lucy's mind to work again.

"Yuri, do you know of any place where I could get a job?"

"A job? Hm... You can ask around here, but I think you'll be luckier up in the Public Quarter. Or you could join the Knights, like I did," he added with sarcasm.

"Right. Cause that worked out so great for you," Lucy replied in the same tone. "You just **left** the Knights, what kind of advice is that?!"

"Fair enough," Yuri chuckled.

"I don't know, maybe I should concentrate on learning how to read first. It shouldn't be too hard, the letters look different, but the spelling is the same."

"Really? That's… convenient."

"No kidding. And lucky me, I got stuck in the English version."

"The what version?"

"Nevermind. It's nothing relevant."

"If you say so."

"Say, are we done for now?" Lucy asked, getting up and putting the table and chair back in their place.

"Sure. For now."

"Good. I need some coffee. I guess I'm going to need an "arrangement" with Becca too."

"I've got the cooking, you can do the dishes."

Lucy opened the door and stepped outside.

"Not having money sucks," she complained with a sigh, as Yuri and Repede followed her.

"Welcome to the Lower Quarter," he offered with a smile, closing the door behind him.

She couldn't help but smile back as they headed for the Comet.

* * *

**A/N** - I had some trouble with this one, it took forever to finish. I feel the rhythm is weird compared to previous chapters. But maybe it's just me? I don't know, this one feels different. But that's not necessarily a bad thing, right?

Let me know what you think!


	7. Step by Step

**A/N **– Hi everyone, sorry it took me so long! I was stuck with some writer's block, and also… in one month's time I bought, played and finished Tales of Xillia and it became my favorite game so far. As you can imagine, my mind has been mostly in Rieze Maxia lately, which also contributed to my writer's block. But don't worry, I'm not abandoning my Vesperia fic, nor am I writing a Xillia one anytime soon (or probably ever).

Now, onward!

* * *

**~ Chapter 6 – Step by Step ~**

The day went well, all things considered. Lucy didn't have a job yet, but she had a deal with Becca. As payment for the room and food until she could afford it herself, they agreed she would help with cleaning up at the end of the day, and she would also be available around 11 in the morning to clean up the rooms and help out with any chores that might come up. Then she would have the afternoon to herself.

Yuri had spent the rest of the morning with her, taking her to the public quarter and showing her around. She stopped by a few shops and pubs, but no one seemed to be in need of a new employee.

x x x – x x x – x x x

"You should have a story prepared, if people start making questions like… where you're from," Yuri told her at as they walked out of an item shop.

"Yeah, I've been thinking about that. What do you think of this: my parents are traveling merchants. I would imagine there are plenty of those around, so I won't get in trouble if someone asks me who they are exactly…? Anyway, they go from town to town. That's how I know the general geography of this world, and I know most of the cities, but not very well, as we never stay in the same place for too long."

"Hm. Ok. It sounds like you had a good life. Why would you give that up to be here all by yourself?"

"Simple. I've been traveling around since I was born, I wanted to try something new," she answered, getting easily into character, excited about letting her imagination fly.

"I wanted to try a different kind of life, the "normal" kind of life, settle down somewhere for a year of two and see what that's like," she paused, thinking it further. "I decided to try my luck in the capital and I said my goodbyes in Nor Harbor, before my parents crossed to Capua Torim."

Yuri had leaned against a wall, listening. He gestured her to go on.

"I hired someone to give me a ride to Halure. But we were robbed along the way, and I lost all my money and possessions. Ever since, I've been lucky enough to find people willing to help me in exchange for work," she paused again, grabbing a fleeting thought.

"Say Yuri? Would the Knights let me travel with them, if I asked for their protection… for free? Their purpose is to protect the people, right?"

She wasn't just thinking about the likeliness of her made up story, she was thinking up head as well.

"In theory, yes. It's what a decent Knight would do. But there aren't many of those."

"Yeah… the good ones end up dying. Or…"

She was thinking of Raven but fell into an awkward silence as she felt the tension coming from Yuri.

"Sorry… Ok, forget it. I don't even know if there were any Knights in Halure recently that might have given me a ride. So, I better just go with some random travelers from Halure to Deidon Hold. And from there I hitched a ride with the people from the Traveler's Inn, who were coming to the area of Zaphias."

"The Traveler's Inn?"

"It's a brother and sister that own a travelling inn. It's a bunch of nice big tents. They move around through the continent and even cross to Tolbyccia sometimes."

"That sounds unlikely. How do you come up with all this?"

"I don't. They actually exist. I'm sure you'll meet them someday. If you ever go on a journey, or something," she quickly added, cursing herself for the near slip.

"I doubt that will ever happen."

"Well, anyway," Lucy continued, trying to hide her smile, "I came with them from Deidon Hold, but they always stay outside of the city areas, so I decided to take a chance and make the rest of the way by myself. Which was a mistake. And that's when you found me... having a party with mushrooms."

Yuri chuckled at that.

x x x – x x x – x x x

The afternoon was spent in her room, studying calligraphy in a notebook Yuri got her.

She filled half a page with each letter, trying to memorize them. Then she practiced writing her name and current address: Lucy Davidson. Room 102, The Comet, Lower Quarter, Zaphias.

During the morning walk with Yuri, she realized she had many little things to learn, as she heard people talking about this and that. It wasn't just the alphabet, the calendar system was different as well. This didn't come as a surprise to her, she would have be expecting it… if she had taken the time to think about it.

'_One more lesson I have to ask of Yuri_', she sighed '_I feel like such a nuisance already._'

After that, she mended her clothes the best she could, with a needle and thread provided by Becca.

Then she went to the Comet, as it was dinner time already.

She met Hanks and Ted and a few more people; she didn't get all the names. She stayed until closing time, helping out as promised. Then it was time for bed.

She hesitated as she passed by Yuri's door, wanting to knock, have a chat and stay up a little longer. But she didn't. She knew she was just trying to avoid being alone waiting for sleep to come. But he didn't have to put up with that, he wasn't responsible for her. No one was but herself. She had to deal with it.

If only she could somehow let her mother know that she was alright, then she'd probably feel a lot better.

She thought she'd practice her alphabet a bit more. There wasn't much light, just a small blastia lantern, powered by a tiny misshapen core. It wasn't quite enough for working.

Her eyelids were getting heavier. When she could barely keep her eyes open, she turned off the light and laid down, falling asleep almost instantly, with her clothes still on.

~~~ _My mom, cooking… oh, that lovely smell!_ ~~~

~~~ _Luanne, insisting on taking me somewhere I don't want go_ ~~~

~~~ _I'm at the beach. The sun is setting. It's so peaceful… I feel a presence. When_

_I look, I see a dark blue outfit and auburn hair. And his theme song starts playing._

"_Kratos?!"_

"_So it seems."_

"_What are you doing here? Oh, I'm dreaming, aren't?"_

"_Yes. And no. I am here to guide you to the crossroad."_

"_What crossroad…?"_

"_Come. There's someone waiting for you."_

_He turns and walks away. I follow. There is a myst everywhere and I can't see anything but Kratos' rear. Won't complain about that…! He stopped. I see someone else. _

"_Mom!"_

_I wanted to run and hug her, but Kratos placed a firm hand on my shoulder, holding me in place. _

"_Lucy! I've been so worried!"_

_She wasn't reaching to touch me either. There was some unspoken rule, some invisible barrier. _

"_I know, I' sorry mom. I had no way to warn you… I'm so sorry!"_

"_It's okay, it's alright now. We'll just get back home and…"_

"_She can't go back," Kratos interrupted. I kinda knew that already… It couldn't be that easy. _

"_What?"_

"_I'm sorry mom. It seems I'm stuck in the Vesperia world now."_

"_But… how can that be…?"_

"_I don't know either. I'll be looking for a way back, but… it might take a while."_

"_The time is up, we must go," Kratos spoke._

"_Wait!"_

"_Mom, please don't worry about me, alright? I'm away, but I'm ok."_

"_But…"_

_She faded from view. ~~~_

Lucy woke up, feeling a bit dizzy. She pushed herself up and heard something small hitting the floor. It was the orange stone. She had kept it in her skirt's pocket all day and totally forgot about it. By the disheveled look of the blankets, she must have tossed and turned in her sleep and the stone must have slipped out of the pocket, ending up falling on the floor as she sit up.

She placed the stone back in her pocket and stared at the ceiling for a while, trying to process her experience. She knew it had been no ordinary dream, it felt real, even though she couldn't explain how. She was still struggling with her worry, her fear that she might never be able to go back, but now she could also feel a sense of peace growing inside her heart. She was certain that, somehow, she had been able to talk to her mother. She only hoped her mother would be as certain as her.

x x x – x x x – x x x

Two weeks passed. Some days were better than others, but it was getting easier for Lucy to adapt to her new reality. Although they never planned it, she and Yuri would always end up having breakfast together.

She always had questions for Yuri, about the little things she didn't know about this world. He didn't mind answering them, but he didn't always feel up to the task, so he suggested she'd take lessons from Hanks.

"But how will I explain my total lack of knowledge about… everything! I can't even read properly yet!" Lucy was embarrassed to admit.

"How about just telling him the truth?"

"Seriously?" she gave Yuri a flat look.

Turns out, Hanks was a pretty open minded person under that apparently strict and cranky personality. And he couldn't quite hide the excitement about having someone to teach again.

Most of her afternoons were now spent with Hanks, practicing her writing and reading, and learning about all sort of things.

She learned that in Terca Lumireis one day has exactly 24 hours; one week has 6 days (no weekends); one month always has 6 complete weeks (36 days), and that corresponds to the moon's cycle; and there are 10 months, which gives a total of 360 days a year. The names of the days and months are related to the elements, as she expected, although she had a few surprises here and there.

Sometimes she would also hear some stories about Yuri and Flynn when they were kids. "Never a dull moment with those two around", Hanks would always say. And sometimes he would ask about Lucy's life back on Earth. She enjoyed these moments, but they would take their toll on her emotional stability.

Today had been especially taxing; Hanks had simply asked about means of transportation, but that led to remembering her car – her own little personal haven – and all those special places she had visited time and time again, and the special friends she had shared those moments with.

She'd been sitting by the river, near the stairs by the side of the inn. She wasn't sure how long she'd been there, just staring at the distance, remembering all the moments she could never live again, even she could return to Earth. It was a downward spiral she'd get herself into sometimes. It usually didn't last long, but for the moment she didn't even care to fight it.

She eventually got up, heading for her room. Her mind was still far away, so she didn't noticed Yuri and bumped into him just as he was reaching down the stairs.

"Hey! Lucy…?"

"Oh, I'm sorry! I… wasn't paying attention."

"I can see that. What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Just tired," she let out with no conviction.

"Is Hanks giving you a hard time, or something?"

"No. No, he's really nice, I'm quite enjoying our lessons," she smiled. "I learn something new every day. And he asks me about my world sometimes. It's nice to have someone to talk to about it… but…" her smiled faded and her head fell.

"You miss home."

Silence dragged on for a moment.

"Yuri… can I…" she stepped forward and hugged him, burring her face in his warm chest.

"Arrgh! You're freezing! How long were you standing there by the river anyway?" he complained, but he didn't push her away. He put his arm around her shoulders, but didn't exactly hug her back.

So he had noticed her sitting there before. Lucy didn't quite register the thought, his warmth felt too good to think about anything else. She knew he wasn't comfortable at all with a freezing girl clinging on to him, but she let herself be selfish for just a little longer.

"You sure like hugs, huh?"

"I'm sorry," she offered as she finally let him go. "I needed to hold on to something… solid… and real."

"Hm," he considered that for a moment. "Well, now I'm cold too. Come on, let's grab a warm dinner."

Lucy smiled, her mind finally back in the present.

'_Thanks, Yuri._'

* * *

**A/N** – Just a few things about:

**Geography** - I know in the game it seems everyone is kinda clueless about the world's geography, which if you think about it, is pretty silly. It's just game logic, of course, focused on the player who, indeed, doesn't know where anything is until the information comes up. But come on, Yuri was a Knight, I'm sure it's part of a Knight's education to know the geography of the world, or the Empire in the very least. So, I'll be ignoring those game mechanics, as you should as well while reading this story.

**Dreams and Kratos** – I wanted to include that, but it didn't go as I originally intended. And it seems now more like a whim on my part than an actual important thing. Still, I wanted to give Lucy some peace about her mom. And I wanted to include Kratos' cameo, like in the game. So there you go.

**Calendar system** – I did come up with a whole thing, I just didn't include all of it in the story to avoid an unnecessary information overload. Some of these names might come up randomly in the future. So, if anyone's interested, the days of the week are: **Lumday**, **Terraday**, **Pyrday**, **Aeolday**, **Lirday** and **Erebday**; the months are **Lumenus**, **Solum, Ignis**, **Aquaris** , **Lunaris** , **Solaris**, **Ventus** , **Glacius**, **Voltus** and **Tenebrius**.  
Yes, I took a lot of that from Dawn of a New World. Hey, I had to go fish somewhere…! But I wanted to avoid the use of Efreet, Undine, Sylph and Gnome, as those names only come up later on in the game.

Oh, and the seasons are like ours, but they change every 90 days (that's 2 months and a half): **Spring** – Lumday, the 1st of Solum; **Summer** - Lumday, the 18th of Aquaris; **Autumn** – Lumday, the 1st of Ventus; **Winter** – Lumday, the 18th of Voltus.

**Repede** – I keep reminding myself not to forget about him! Just so you know, by the end of this chapter, Redepe was sleeping, cause he went out with Yuri all day to hunt some monsters (and collect items to sell and make some money. Yuri needs to make a living somehow), and the poor Repede is still a puppy, he gets tired and needs his sleep! I tried to get Lucy to ask about him, but that messed up the rhythm of the ending, so I didn't. But I just wanted to let you all know that I didn't forget about him! =P

Thanks to everyone who's still reading. And a special thanks to Plusle and Sylph Writer for their continued support (and natural chattiness =D). I love you two, you both inspire me in your own way.


	8. Mr Trouble

**~ Chapter 7 – Mr. Trouble ~**

The chilly weather was setting in, but it was sunny and relatively warm today.

Lucy was running errands on the Public Quarter when she heard music playing. She looked around, following the sound, trying to pin point the source. She noticed some people gathering around the far end of the plaza, so she headed there as well.

There were three musicians playing, one with a violin, who was clearly the front-man, one with a flute, and one with a drum. Their music was full of life, soul and warmth. If she had to categorize it, it would be somewhere between folk and world music, but not really either of them. There was something unique about it.

Lucy was smiling widely, and before she knew it, her body was moving to the rhythm. It had been too long since she last danced. She'd almost forgotten how good it felt and how much she loved it. The people around her stepped back, giving her room as she was starting to really get into it and letting her body move freely and widely in a fluid continuous motion. The music never stopped, but it changed in rhythm and melody… and she just followed. Then it changed again, and they even changed instruments. She could now hear a guitar instead of the violin and a different kind of flute. There were sudden stops emphasizing the rhythm and that's when she realized the musicians were teasing and challenging her, to see how well she could adapt to the changes. She smiled at them and accepting the challenge, quickly catching the beat and making sharper movements when required.

The music finally came to an end and Lucy finished with a bow to the musicians then another to the crowd. Everyone applauded and cheered, and many coins were dropped in the violin's box lying by the musician's feet, with the lid wide open, ready to receive the kind donations.

"Nice to meet you, little miss" the violinist greeted Lucy as the crowd dispersed.

"Likewise! I was really needing that. You guys are amazing!"

"Why thank you," the man grinned, tipping his hat. "You were pretty amazing yourself. I can't say I've ever seen anyone dancing like that. My name's Sid."

"Nice to meet you, Sid. I'm Lucy." She tried not to be too obvious while taking in his striking figure. Sid was tall and lean, with sharp features and aqua green eyes. There was something predatory about him. '_Kind of like… a bird…?_' He wore several layers of clothing, with different colors and materials that somehow matched. He also wore a dark grey fedora hat with three black feathers attached. '_And there's the bird-ness again._'

"Hey Sid, you should hire that girl! You won't believe how much we got today." One of the others said, approaching with a bag, apparently full of gald.

Lucy couldn't hide the glint of excitement in her eyes. Did he say hire? It would be amazing to get a job doing what she loved the most!

"Well, I just might! What do you say, miss Lucy?" He was staring right into her eyes, with a teasing grin, reading her like an open book.

'_Oh, that charming bastard! He *knows* I want to. And stop grinning like an idiot, Lucy!_'

"I do need a job… And I do love dancing… "

"It's settled then!" Sid stretched his hand and Lucy took it, still unsure if this was a good idea. There was something about Sid, about the three of them actually, that made a warning sign pop up in her mind. And yet, all of this was so appealing!

"Louie, Dusty, meet Lucy. Lucy, this here is Louie", he put his arm around the man's shoulders, taking the bag he'd brought, "and that's Dusty." Dusty was putting away the instruments, and Lucy was surprised to realize that it was actually a girl. Out of the three, she was the one with shorter hair. At first sight she looked like a kid, but there was a toughness about her that made her smaller stature irrelevant. She wore dark leggings with shorts and a jacket with a leather strip around the right sleeve, with black feathers sewed onto it. Louie had feathers as well, in his case, attached to his boots. He seemed to be the youngest of the group, even though he was almost as tall as Sid. But there was a roundness and sweetness to his features she didn't find in the other two.

"Care to guess our band's name?" Sid asked in a flirty tone, noticing she had been eyeing their ornaments.

"Er… the Crows? Or the Ravens, or something?"

"Close enough, I suppose. We're the Black Feathers!" he said with pride.

Lucy almost facepalmed. Then she chuckled, and just as a thought was about to click, she was distracted.

"Here, this is for you," Louie handed her a handful of money. It was about 200 gald. Lucy was taken aback by the gesture and the amount.

"We always share", Louie explained, shrugging.

"Besides, you deserve it." Dusty added in a husky voice, finally joining them.

"Thanks guys!"

She tried toning down her excitement. She wasn't successful.

'_Oh, what's the point? Sid will see right through me anyway._'

But Sid wasn't paying attention to her anymore, he was looking around as if searching for someone.

"Gotta run. See you tomorrow. Same place, same time." He was already with his back turned, ready to leave, but gave Lucy a last look for confirmation. She nodded, he grinned, winked at her and in an instant the three of them were gone.

Lucy stood there for a moment taking in all that had happened in such a short time. She gave a spin and jumped laughing; she hadn't felt this happy in quite some time.

She was thinking what to do with the 500 gald. For someone who didn't have any, It seemed like a lot, but it wasn't that much considering she wanted to give at least half to Becca as payment for her room. She also needed some clothes and maybe some items. 500 gald was definitely not much!

After browsing the shops for a while, she decided on 3 apple gels (you never know when you might need one), a yellow blouse she fell in love with, and a few yards of two different fabrics. She couldn't afford many clothes, so she'd make her own.

The gald she had left she used to buy some food and eat on the way, as she was getting hungry and running late.

She returned to the Lower Quarter just in time for her lesson with Hanks. She took the opportunity to ask his wife if she could borrow some sewing materials, showing her the fabrics she'd bought and telling her how she planned to use them. Her lesson ended up being more about sewing than anything else, but that was ok, she was getting pretty good with the alphabet, she deserved a break from it.

At dinner time she was disappointed not to see Yuri. She wanted to share the news with him.

"Hey Becca, have you seen Yuri?"

"He left just after lunch, saying he had something to take care of. He had that look in his eyes, too… I hope he didn't get himself in trouble," Becca added with some worry.

"Hmm. I guess we'll have to wait and see if shows up… Oh, by the way, this is for you." Lucy handed the gald to Becca with a big smile.

"Oh? What's this?"

"I got a job! Well, sort of."

She told Becca about her day and the unexpected breakthrough.

"I didn't know you could dance, Lucy! Oh, I would've loved to see that!"

"Well, I could ask the guys if they want to come play down here… I can't make any promises tough."

Sometime later, with her dinner half finished, she heard a bark and something pulling at her skirt.

"Repede? What's up?"

*bark!* *bark!* *whimper*

The pup seemed torn between getting her attention and staring at her plate, salivating.

"Yuri didn't feed you? …where is he, anyway?"

Lucy gave him the rest of her dinner, a creeping suspicion settling in. Repede swallowed it down in a few seconds and continued to pull her skirt whimpering. Yuri must really be in trouble if Repede was here alone and so desperate to get her attention. He was clearly trying to drag her away somewhere.

"Ok, I got it Repede. Lead the way."

*bark!*

Repede lead her trough the city, slowing down at every turn and turning back to make sure she would follow. There weren't many turns though, just a lot of stairs. He was going up to the Royal Quarter, and Lucy already had a pretty good idea where Yuri might be.

As she reached the top of the stairs, Repede was barking at the guard in front of the gate. Said guard was not amused.

"You again?!"

Lucy grabbed Repede and carried him in her arms. He didn't want to be carried or sit still; she tried to calm him whispering in his ear.

"Shh, it's ok Repede. You have to keep it cool if you want to get in. Let me handle this."

"Is that dog yours? You should take better care of him, he's been pestering me all afternoon!" The knight tried sounding harsh, but Lucy could tell his heart wasn't in it. He sounded tired.

"I'm sorry he was bothering you. He's not mine, though. I'm guessing his owner is inside…"

"Inside? You don't mean that kid we arrested today…?"

"If that kid has dark clothes, dark hair and is called Yuri, then yes, that's exactly who I mean."

"That kid is nothing trouble! He'll be in there for a while. You better take the dog back home," the man's tone was a decisive one. He wanted this to be over.

"Could we just go and say hi to him…?" She gently pressed on.

The guard stared at her, suspiciously.

"Is he a friend of yours?"

"He's my neighbor. I know he can be troublesome sometimes, but he's not a bad kid."

"Well, he can't be very nice if he's in jail," the knight argued, not convinced. But Lucy wouldn't give up so easily.

"Please, sir… I'm sure Repede here would feel a lot better if he could only see his owner for a bit. He must have been so scared when Yuri was taken away… They're very close, you know. Could you let us in… please?" She shoved Repede with his cute little sad puppy eyes right in the knight's face.

*whimper*

She made some sad puppy eyes herself, just in case. She felt a bit guilty, the man was just doing his job. He sounded nice enough for a knight and he might get in trouble for this. But here she was, pressing on and on until he broke.

"Fine. But make it quick," the man sighed.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Knight!" She bowed her head in thanks, keeping Repede in her arms as she walked in.

"I'm sorry Repede, I know you don't like it much, but we might have to pull that trick again with the guard inside."

The dog let out a resigned sigh, but stayed put obediently.

x x x – x x x – x x x

'_Man, this sucks!_'

Yuri was sprawled on his cell's bed, staring at the ceiling. There was a big bruise on his left cheek and his torso hurt all over. In compensation he left three Knights in worse shape than him and another two just slightly better. Of course, they must all have been healed by now. Prisoners don't get that treatment unless they're in a critical state.

He heard some voices down the hall, by the entrance and turned on his side to face the wall, not in the mood for company.

Steps were getting closer and closer.

"Hey there, Mr. Trouble," a familiar voice teased.

He sit up abruptly and his bruised body protested.

"Lucy?! What are you doing here?" he winced.

"Someone wanted to see you," she said as she let Repede on to the floor. The pup walked right through the bars and jumped on the bed next to him, trying to lick his face.

"Repede…" Yuri lowered his head a bit, allowing the pup to greet him.

"Jeez Yuri, you look terrible… Here."

Lucy handed him two apple gels. He eyed them suspiciously but didn't refuse them.

"Where did you get these?"

"You're welcome," she teased.

"Thanks."

He ate one, waiting to see if he needed a second dose or not.

"I bought them. With my own gald and all!"

Yuri gave her a questioning look.

"I got a job. Sort of," she explained.

"Really? That's great," he smiled. That still made his face hurt, so he ate the second gel.

"Yeah, it really is! So, why are you in here, anyway?" she changed the subject.

"I was teaching a lesson to some bastard who's been ripping off some old people with fake items. Then some Knights showed up and got me arrested saying I was a suspect in some robbery that had just happened. Apparently it was the Dark Wings, and those idiots think I'm one of them."

"The Dark Wings are in town?"

"So it seems. You know them?"

"I've heard of them. Man, this sucks!" Yuri smiled as she repeated his own words. "How can you prove your innocence?"

"I can't. But they can't prove I'm guilty either, so they'll have to let me go eventually."

Lucy let out a sigh. She looked sad. More than that, she looked disappointed.

"Lucy? What's up?"

Before she could answer, a voice sounded from down the hall.

"Ok, miss, you've been there long enough. You have to go now."

"I'm coming!" Lucy replied. Then she turned back to Yuri.

"I'm just sad you won't be around for a while, that's all." She chuckled and added, "I guess I wanted to show off…"

"Huh?"

The guard was now approaching to take her away.

"I have to go... Good luck."

*whimper*

Repede looked at Yuri, pleading.

"Sorry Repede, you can't stay here. Someone has to take care of Lucy while I'm gone, right?"

The dog let out a sound of reluctant acceptance and walked out of the cell, following Lucy who was already walking away.

Yuri listened to their fading steps, lying down. He was thankful for her visit and the apple gels; he was still sore, but the pain and bruises were gone. And he had to admit, it wasn't just his body that felt better. It was nice to know someone actually cared about him.

* * *

**A/N** – Who is Mr. Trouble? Is it Yuri? Or is it Sid? ;)

At the end, when Yuri is surprised (and pleased) that someone cares about him… I'd like to explain that this is from Yuri's perspective, and because doesn't think too highly of himself in that regard, he fails to see how much Becca, Hanks and Flynn *do* care about him. That may be because they have always been in his life and also because he's always been a troublesome kid, and they were strict with him, so the feelings weren't so apparent. But Lucy is new, so he perceives her in a different way.

I've finally made a drawing of Lucy. I'm not too happy with it, but it's the best I can do. I've also created a Tumblr page for this story, where I'll be sharing my drawings, info on the characters, answer questions and share stuff that inspires me (related to this story and characters).

It's here: journeyforawish. tumblr. com

I don't' think it will be updated frequently, but hey, it's there.


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